Behind Closed Doors

Turn a closet into a functional workstation. Create a desk by installing a low shelf and adding filing cabinets underneath. Paint the shelf to make it more inviting. On the top shelf, fill boxes and baskets with school supplies. Add bins and messages boards to the wall between the two shelves for extra storage and display space.

Work Space

A small niche makes the perfect study station for little children. Install a reading light at the top and shelves below to create a work space. For extra storage, add a top shelf to hold plastic bins and place drawer units below the lower shelf. Use a rod and curtain to hide the computer and other items when not in use.

Going Places

For a simple study area, place a desk on wheels in the corner. Now the desk can move wherever it's needed throughout the room. Add a corkboard and chalkboard to the wall for a place to write reminders or display work.

Heavy Metal

Help your kid want to study with a desk made just for him or her. Take a basic desk and add a tool organizer from a hardware store below for a set of cool drawers. Install shelves in various sizes and magazine holders on the walls for storage.

At an Angle

Use a short wall, such as in an attic or below a staircase, for a built-in desk. Fill the wall with shelves of various sizes for book and supply storage. Use doors for areas where you want more privacy. Add a tabletop for a computer and work area.

Grand Illusion

Visitors will hardly realize there's a desk in the room with this option. Blend the hutch into the walls by painting it the same pattern as the walls. Use a contrasting pattern for the desk. Give the desk the illusion of being mobile by cutting off part of the desk's legs and installing bun feet.

It Takes Two

Just because kids share a room, that doesn't mean they have to share a desk. Add a desk to the end of the bunk beds by installing a countertop to the top rail of the bottom bunk. Add a cork board to the end of the top bunk for display space. For the second desk, do the same on the other side of the beds, or use a traditional desk elsewhere in the room.

L-Shape Wonder

Need a lot of workspace for school projects? Increase the surface area by creating an L-shape desk. Add a traditional table to the end of a standard computer desk. Angle the table as desired to create a personalized workspace.

New Twist

Find an old secretary's desk at a garage sale or an antique store. Remove the doors, and paint the desk a fun color or pattern. If the drop-down table doesn't provide enough workspace, paint a table in a similar pattern and place nearby for extra workspace.

Just a Hutch

Give your kid plenty of room to hold books and display items with a custom-made hutch. First decide where to place the desk. On the wall above the desk, add a bulletin board and a cabinet. Remove the doors to the cabinet for open shelving. Paint the three pieces as desired.

Tip: Instead of removing the doors to the cabinet, leave them attached and paint them with chalkboard paint. Now your student has a place to leave messages or doodles.

Sweet Vanity

Is your daughter more into looks than her studies? With this double-duty space, she can spend time on both. Use a worktable to connect two chests of drawers. Add a mirror to the wall space above the table. Now the space can work as a vanity before school and a desk after school.

Wide-Open Spaces

Add open shelves on the wall above a traditional desk for storage. Wire shelves, like the ones shown, are inexpensive at home stores. Find one with a rod and hang items, such as a pencil box (shown), to free up the work space.